pcm wrote:Meh, different skillset. Jeffrey is similair to Dupuis, a bit slower. But what got everyone excited 2 years ago was that scoring instinct he showed no matter who he was on the ice with. That's the kind of thing that makes an NHL'er. He's probably got a higher top end than Dupuis, but Dupuis' been exceeding expectations for years now...

Tangradi is a lesser Ryan Malone. He's got skills, the question has been the ethic and consistency to succeed in the type of role he's made for.

This season will be huge for both of them. They'll both get shots for that top 6 slot, but they're different players, and so I think their relative success will be measured more on the needs of the team and their personal will to fulfill that than their raw skill set.

For instance, I could see Jeffrey supplanting Kennedy on the depth chart this season, and Dupuis next season. Tangradi on the other hand I could see winning Kunitz's spot with Malkin_Neal (Kunitz to play with Sid) because he fits the needs of that line best.

I'm not so sure there will be a season for them or anyone else. Except in Europe or the AHL.

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Every time the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were whistled for a penalty, it was music to Eric Tangradi’s ears.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins winger scored three power play goals Friday, leading the Penguins to a 3-1 win over the Sound Tigers. The win is the Penguins third in a row, improving their record to 8-6-0-0 and moving them into second place in the East Division.

(1) It seems Tangradi's role has been dug-in to what management wants from him when he goes to the NHL. In years past, in WB/S, he's carried the puck more and distributed it, but now his role seems to be more geared at havoc in the corners and net-front duties...perhaps some of this is due to all the new personnel.

(2) KV looked really good saturday night. Went hard to the net, looked strong in the corners...just stay healthy for once Keven!

(3) Dumoulin looked slower than I expected...unless he was hurt/off, he looked nowhere near adjusted to the speed of the pro game yet.

(4) Morrow's minutes were extrememly protected...really strong handling and crisp passing...but MAN! WHAT A BOMB FROM THE POINT HE HAS IN PERSON!

(5) Despres had a terrible night...tried to do everything by himself in the defensive zone...reminded me of a really young Letang in that regard.

(6) I like Dom Uher...A LOT.

(7) Bennett consistently looked like one of the best players on the ice when he was out there, which I wasn't expecting to be the case. Good motor...strong in the corners and never taken off his feet...made a slick defensive scoring chance breakup early in the first...showed incredible control with the puck, both in transition and on the PP...and made one heck of a nice backhand-through-the-crease assist on WB/S' lone goal. Not the best at reading the play just yet...made some poor turnovers over dumb decisions with the pass, but he had me quite excited about his potential.

Good to see you posting again sil. Thank you for your notes. Not inconsistent with what I have by and large. Tangradi should not have to carry the puck, he can't do that at the next level anyway (he can barely do it at this level), not his game. Veilleux I see flashes. Morrow I've seen (and people might have better sample sizes than me because I have to choose Texas Stars games and junior games over WBS games for various reasons) get docked minutes late in games quite a bit, comes with the territory. Thinks the game better than most offensively from the backline, executes it well. Uher is a Johnny Hustler, scoring touch may come along, may not. LHS or I'd say he could be TK's replacement. Bennett is growing by the game. First game or two, his lack of experience showed...but now you see him piecing it together pretty rapidly. I think (didn't take good notes on it, just mental recreation, could be wrong) that Tangradi garners the top checkers from another team, Bennett the second-tier. Might not be different for him at the next level either. A work in progress, but the progression is working.

sil wrote:I was at the Bears/Baby Pens game on Saturday...a few thoughts...

(1) It seems Tangradi's role has been dug-in to what management wants from him when he goes to the NHL. In years past, in WB/S, he's carried the puck more and distributed it, but now his role seems to be more geared at havoc in the corners and net-front duties...perhaps some of this is due to all the new personnel.

(2) KV looked really good saturday night. Went hard to the net, looked strong in the corners...just stay healthy for once Keven!

(3) Dumoulin looked slower than I expected...unless he was hurt/off, he looked nowhere near adjusted to the speed of the pro game yet.

(4) Morrow's minutes were extrememly protected...really strong handling and crisp passing...but MAN! WHAT A BOMB FROM THE POINT HE HAS IN PERSON!

(5) Despres had a terrible night...tried to do everything by himself in the defensive zone...reminded me of a really young Letang in that regard.

(6) I like Dom Uher...A LOT.

(7) Bennett consistently looked like one of the best players on the ice when he was out there, which I wasn't expecting to be the case. Good motor...strong in the corners and never taken off his feet...made a slick defensive scoring chance breakup early in the first...showed incredible control with the puck, both in transition and on the PP...and made one heck of a nice backhand-through-the-crease assist on WB/S' lone goal. Not the best at reading the play just yet...made some poor turnovers over dumb decisions with the pass, but he had me quite excited about his potential.

Just my 2-cents.

Thanks, this was great. There are so many opinions out there that it is hard to follow if you never get to actually see them play.

1. Good to hear about Tangradi and Bennett - that will change my thinking reagarding a ton of worrying about no prospects for forward player in a few years - if they keep it up and/or can translate it into the NHL it will be a huge plus.

2. First bad note I heard about Dumoulin so I will assume off night or injury but interesting none the less

3. Not to sound overly concerned since I have not actually seen him play (and Mikey maybe you can answer from what you have heard) but should we be worried about Despres at this point? I have been hearing a lot all of a sudden this season about his poor play in his own end, sure there is room to improve but he has been around long enough now - this is also the AHL. Just curious, as I said this all based off of second hand reports.

Worried? No. But no more than you should have been to start. Despres, as I've referenced previously, might not be a hockey scholar so to speak. There's some games where he puts it together really well and his hockey tools are very strong and he leaves you impressed. Some games, it's like, "what was he thinking tonight?" If he should find himself against more and more advanced players, you should notice this more and more. I remember saying once upon time that I wouldn't be surprised if Despres became a second pairing defenseman at the NHL level or a quality AHL player. I thought he'd craft himself into a more defensive player at this level because I don't know how much I love his offensive game. Again, it's tough with his inconsistency. Some nights he's a complete package, some nights he's an offensive positive, some nights he's solid defensively, some nights he's garbage.

He's still developing, he's getting bonus time in an AHL+ league which is a nice quarter-step or half-step up before he's immersed in NHL action. But he's a work in progress certainly. Small sample sizes need not apply with Despres. You need his whole body of work to identify strengths, weaknesses, progression.

Despres looked very good at the NHL level in a reasonably long strecth. I think he may be trying to do too much back in the AHL to win a top D pairing job at the NHL level. He does need to tighten up a bit, but it is conceivable he is not an AHL player at this point. I don't see any reason to freak out over what a young player clearly capable of playing in the NHL does, unless that is to fail at the NHL level.

This is just conditioning for him. He is ahead of at least 3 guys in the organization who have NHL only deals.